Chaotix Chaos
by dbzespio
Summary: Sonic Chronicles: Dark Brotherhood- what if Sonic hadn't returned from his journey in time to save Knuckles? Well then, the Chaotix would come to the rescue!
1. Chapter 1

Upon reaching the top of a rocky outcropping, the three Chaotix members paused to look down below at the surrounding landscape. Several yards below their current position, a demure yet formidable stronghold laid in wait.

"I believe…" Espio began softly, his voice hardly above a whisper, "…we've found our place."

"All right, boys, let's try not to mess this one up completely! We've got an innocent echidna countin' on us!" Vector suddenly, and rather loudly, declared.

"Of course, Vector," the purple chameleon smirked, "we'll handle this with style just like we always do."

"Yeah, that's right!" Charmy exclaimed, hardly able to contain his excitement. "This is going to sooo much fun!"

"Now don't get too excited, ya crazy bee!" Vector cried, slamming his left fist into his right palm. "This isn't going to be easy, ya know! If Knuckles got taken down by these so-called Marauders, then they certainly aren't a bunch of pushovers!"

"Clarity and focus, Charmy…" Espio breathed, attempting to remain calm, even through Charmy was fluttering practically everywhere around his head. "That… is the key to victory."

"Yeah, yeah, sure!" Charmy was hardly paying attention to either of them, but he nodded his head enthusiastically anyway. "Now what do we gotta do anyhow? Tell me! Tell me!"

"Okay! Now listen up!" Vector interjected authoritatively. "The first thing we're gonna hafta do is figure out a way ta get inside that fortress down there."

"Oh! Is that all?" Charmy grinned widely. "Just leave it to me, Vector! I've already got an idea!"

"Oh?" Espio looked vaguely surprised. It wasn't often that Charmy was the first to come up with a plan. "And what does this idea of yours entail?"

"Well," the little bee giggled, "I'll just fly us down there, right through one of their windows! None of those bad guys will ever suspect it!"

"And if we get detected?" Espio asked, skeptical. "We'll be completely vulnerable in the air."

"No! Wait! Hang on here, Espio! I really think Charmy's on ta somethin' here. It just might actually work!" Vector broke in.

"But what if we're spotted?" the ninja chameleon insisted once again.

"Those idiots will never think to look! Because it's so obvious that they'd think nobody'd actually try it!"

"Are you sure about that?" Espio looked highly unconvinced.

"Of course! I'm a _brilliant_ detective after all! It's my job to think of stuff like that!" Vector grinned, posing ridiculously for a nonexistent camera.

"_Yaay_!" Charmy clapped in approval.

"Now let's do this!" the giant crocodile proudly roared.

"If you say so…" Espio sighed, already regretting joining this mission.

Grinning, Charmy rose up into the air, just high enough for Espio to grab hold of his feet. Once he did so, the young bee ascended even higher for Vector. The massive and heavy crocodile seized Espio's shoes while chomping noisily on his bubblegum.

Once the three detectives arrived in front of the fortress, Charmy noticed a window large enough to for the three of them to fit through relatively easily. After a bit of complaining from Vector as he struggled through the comparatively small opening, the three unlikely allies successfully infiltrated the stronghold.

"Looks like we were lucky this time…" Espio mused, scanning the area carefully.

"Of course! We're Team Chaotix!" Vector declared, stamping his foot upon the ground definitively. "Now let's find Knuckles! Espio, you lead the way."

"My pleasure." Espio replied, his body already blending into his surroundings.

After a relatively short search through the dingy halls, Espio managed to find Knuckles unconscious, bound to a pillar, and heavily guarded. Rendering his right arm momentarily visible, he waved it, gaining the others' attention.

"Knuckles is trapped within the room just beyond this wall here…" Espio began quietly, peering around said wall to assess the situation once again. "If you two can distract the guards for a while, I'm certain I can save him myself without any trouble. It should be an easy enough task."

"You sure you can pull it off?" Vector asked, scratching his head.

"Of course I can!" the ninja sneered. "What makes you think otherwise?"

"Well…" he looked thoughtful, "Knuckles might be pretty heavy…"

"I can carry Knuckles!"

"Well, okay…" Vector shrugged. "I guess _anything_'s possible…"

Espio silently fumed, but chose not to reply.

"Hey Charmy!" Vector grinned. "You ready to be totally distracting?"

"Aw, yeah!" Charmy cheered.

Espio shook his head. It was a wonder the guards hadn't already heard them. "That's enough! Now make haste! It's our duty to put the client at ease as quickly as possible."

"Yeah! Hurry up, Charmy!" Vector barked.

"It's not my fault…" the little bee whined.

"Start _moving_!" Espio seethed.

oOoOoOo

Both Charmy and Vector ambled down a nearby, wide-open hallway. Once the two reached the absolute center, they paused.

And Vector unleashed a loud, atrocious burp, one that echoed all across the entire compound.

oOoOoOo

Utterly stunned by the loud and odd noise, the guards surrounding Knuckles looked about in confusion.

"What are you standing around for?" the apparent leader barked at the others. "Go find out what that was!"

The invisible Espio smirked. Leave it to Vector to provide the ultimate distraction.

All but the leading robot left to ascertain the source of the peculiar sound, while the leader remained behind to guard Knuckles.

Without making a sound, Espio crept behind the robot…

And pushed him over.

"Aaack!" the hapless robot flailed his arms and legs about, but his torso was far too boxy for him to have any chance of recovering. "I require assistance! I have fallen, and I _can't _get up!"

Espio rolled his eyes. This was turning out to be even easier than he had expected. He let out an audible sigh.

"Who's there? Show yourself!"

"That's not in my job description…" the ninja replied, promptly pulling out his kunai and using its sharp point to unscrew the robot's compartments. From there, it was fairly easy to rip apart its circuitry until the idiotic leader lost all function entirely.

Espio then hurried over to Knuckles and used his kunai once again to set him free. The unconscious echidna collapsed to the ground, nearly crushing the chameleon in the process. Espio heaved Knuckles onto his back and discovered that Vector may have had a good point...

Knuckles was _far_ heavier than he had expected.

'Now I know what Knuckles does all day while guarding that Master Emerald… He _eats._' Espio inwardly complained.

oOoOoOo

Meanwhile, Vector and Charmy were running for their lives!

"Aaaah! Why did we ever agree to this?" Vector screamed, like a girl half his age.

"I don't know…!" Charmy cried with tears streaming down his face.

"Hey! Listen! Listen!" a guard called out obnoxiously. "If you stop running, we _might _give you candy!"

"Try and make us!" Charmy turned around in midair, sticking out his tongue.

"What kind of candy?" Vector wondered, half tempted to cave in.

"He's _lying _about the candy!" the young bee exclaimed, exasperated. "He's only saying that so we'll stop the mission!"

"What!" the bulky crocodile exclaimed. "How _dare _they trick _me _with food!"

"Yeah…" the bee sighed, "and we _all _know that's your biggest weakness…"

"RAAAARRR!" Vector suddenly whirled around, unleashing a giant wave of flames from his mouth. The guards stopped in their tracks and promptly scampered away; now _they _were the ones running for their lives.

"Whoa! Way to go, Vector!" Charmy sang out.

"Haw! Haw! Good thing I had those spicy burritos for lunch yesterday, huh?" he laughed.

"HALT!" More guards had appeared right behind them. "Don't make any sudden movements, and you _might _get candy!"

"Give 'em another Flame Attack!" Charmy ordered.

"Raa…aa?" Vector tried the same attack, but this time, only a small sputter of flames spewed out of his mouth.

"What!" the youngest detective exclaimed, "What was _that_?"

"I'm all out of fire power!" he cried.

Completely unhindered now, it didn't take long for these guards to catch up to the two detectives and forcibly expel them from the building.

"Ow! Why'd they have to throw us?" Charmy complained, rubbing his aching backside.

"Quick! Hide in those bushes!" Vector said frantically, scrambling to reach them.

"They've already seen us. It's not like we actually have to hide anymore…" the bee rolled his eyes and remained seated upon the grass.

"Just _do it_!" Vector roared.

"Sure, boss, whatever you say…" Charmy sighed.

The two detectives hid among the scanty swamp bushes, waiting for Espio. They waited patiently for exactly five seconds, and then it became obvious that the two were too restless to sit still.

"Where is Espio anyway? What's takin' 'im so long!" Vector cried impatiently. "Wasn't he going to come out here after he saved Knuckles?"

"What if… What if something _terrible_ has happened to him?" Charmy asked, his eyes beginning to well up with tears.

"Naw, Espio'll be fine," he assured him, "but he might need some help… We should head back inside just in case."

"Okay, let's do it!" Charmy exclaimed enthusiastically, his tears already forgotten.

Vector grabbed onto his comrade's shoes, and the two flew off back toward the fortress.

oOoOoOo

Shortly after reaching the exit, Espio dragged Knuckles into the bushes, panting heavily.

'I finally made it…' the ninja thought to himself. 'It looks like Vector and Charmy haven't left the fortress yet…'

Espio carefully laid Knuckles out on the ground and started an attempt to rouse him.

"Knuckles, are you alright? Wake up!" he tapped Knuckles' giant head with his hand, wondering when on earth he was going to awaken.

Eventually, Knuckles groaned and rolled over, slowly opening his eyes. "W… what's going on? Where're the Marauders?" He suddenly sprang up and demanded to know.

"They're inside. I have rescued you from them, so you don't have to worry about that…" Espio responded, rather robotically.

"Where's the Master Emerald?" Knuckles demanded once again.

"I don't know. Finding out wasn't part of my mission."

The red echidna growled angrily. "I don't have time for this! I have to find the Master Emerald!" he cried, rising and turning away to leave.

Espio's eyes narrowed, somewhat dangerously. "Where do you think you're going? Both Vector and Charmy have assisted me on this mission, and neither of them have returned yet. They could be in danger, and I may require your assistance to recover them!"

"Whatever… That's not my problem."

"I should think it is!" Espio rose suddenly, furious. "They're only in danger right now because they were trying to save _you_!"

Knuckles grumbled and folded his arms over his chest but remained in place; apparently he had decided to silently acquiesce.

After five seconds had passed…

"Well, what are we just standing around for?" Knuckles growled, "Why haven't we gotten it over with already? Let's go find them!"

"Well… perhaps they're just late. I planned on waiting for several minutes before I'd decide to just rush right off." Espio answered quietly and sat down to prepare for a quick meditation.

Knuckles looked infuriated. "Let's just go now! I don't have all day, you know!"

"Fine…" Espio reluctantly agreed, if only out of fear that Knuckles might decide to abandon him entirely. He hadn't taken on a Marauder yet, technically speaking; therefore, he had no idea what sort of powers and abilities these enemies possessed. He wasn't quite certain he would be willing to lose an ally as powerful as Knuckles, especially not under these constraints. "Let's head in at once."

oOoOoOo

"Aw… we failed again…!" Charmy whined, landing once again on his backside after the Marauders had tossed him outdoors.

"Oh, just shut up and hide!"

Vector crawled back to the bushes with Charmy on his tail… figuratively speaking, of course.

"Espio's still not here yet…" the little bee pointed out.

"Oh noes! Then he_ must _be in trouble!" Vector exclaimed. "We gotta go back in there and save him! Hurry!"

oOoOoOo

"It's you! How did you escape?" a particularly large robot asked Knuckles.

Knuckles ignored the question and punched the nearest Marauder in the face. Unfortunately, another Marauder chose this moment to approach from behind and strike him in the back of the head. Knuckles slumped to the ground, unconscious once again.

"Didja hit him?" the large robot asked excitedly, waving its arms around ridiculously for emphasis. One of its arms just happened to hit the invisible Espio rather hard on the head.

"Whoa… it felt like I just… hit something…" the robot looked around to see a now-visible and unconscious chameleon lying on the floor. "Eew! Gross!"

"What's that?" one of the Marauders asked stupidly, pointing at Espio.

"It's just another intruder! Expel it now!"

oOoOoOo

Upon regaining consciousness, Espio frowned, realizing that he was lying in disgusting swamp grass.

"Egh… I… failed…" the ninja dragged himself back to the bushes and just laid there, not wanting to even touch his throbbing head.

oOoOoOo

"Can't you get the hint? We don't want you here! So just leave already!" a Marauder cried out of utter irritation.

"Never! We'll _never_ leave without Espio!" Vector declared, dramatically. "Charmy! Get ready for your special attack!"

"What special attack?" Charmy wondered, confused.

Vector seized the bee and held him up with his stinger at the ready. "No one come any closer or else I'm FORCED to use this bee's deadly sting!"

"That bee's sting is _deadly_?"

"You _bet _it is!" Vector shouted.

"Don't listen to him; he's just trying to trick you! That kid is just one of those common, garden-variety bees."

Apparently, the majority of marauders seemed to agree with this statement. They readied their stances and prepared to attack.

"Uh… RUN!" Vector dropped poor Charmy and took off.

"Waaaait!" Charmy shrieked, sailing after him.

However, it didn't take long for the marauders to catch up and kick them out for the third time.

"Ugh… this is getting old…" Vector groaned as he made his way back to the bushes.

"Vector… is that you…" Espio managed to say.

"Espio! What happened to you? Where's Knuckles?"

"I rescued Knuckles… but… he got recaptured when we went back inside to find you two…"

"Huh? Is that so?" Vector scratched his chin. "That sounds… awfully convenient… Are you sure you aren't just making that up?"

"Do you think I _made up _this bump on my head?" Espio barked.

"Poor Espio…" Charmy frowned and reached out to pat his head.

"Don't touch it!" Espio snapped.

"Well, boys, it looks like we completely failed this time…" Vector groaned.

"We must… regroup and come up with a new plan." Espio began, carefully rubbing his sore head. "And then we can retry the mission. Hopefully, we'll learn from our mistakes…"

"Yeah! We can't fail twice in a row!" Charmy sang, springing up and dancing in midair.

"Yup, of course we won't! Team Chaotix never fails a mission!" Vector struck a pose for that nonexistent camera. "And yeah… this time totally doesn't count."


	2. Chapter 2

"Well, boys, I think I've come up with the PERFECT plan this time around!" Vector declared with a massive grin.

Espio sniffed. Much to his displeasure, the swamp still smelled just as horrible as it did yesterday. Not that he actually had a nose to begin with, but still!

"Uh… you're… sure?" Charmy asked, finally breaking the long and awkward pause.

"Yeah, of course! I'm certain everything'll work out perfectly this time!" Vector insisted.

"Well then… what do you suggest?" Espio asked, trying his hardest not to sigh.

"Yeah, let's hear it, Vector!"

"Well," the bulky crocodile paused to scratch his chin thoughtfully, "I was thinkin' that we should change around our original plan just a little bit to make it better."

"Better how?" Espio frowned.

"Better, like, it'll actually work this time!" Charmy interjected.

"Yeah, yeah," Vector shook off their comments as unimportant, "but anyways, I was thinkin' we should basically follow the same plan as last time… except for one tiny detail: we switch places."

"Switch places?" Charmy held up his hands in confusion.

"You know, this time Charmy and I'll save Knuckles, while Espio provides the distraction."

"_What_!" the ninja chameleon exclaimed, disgruntled. "You can't expect _me_ to be loud and irritating! I'm… a ninja! That sort of behavior would go against my code of honor!"

"Oh, come on. Just think about it, Espio. Charmy and I couldn't distract the guards for very long because they could _see_ us. No matter how fast we ran, it didn't matter; they were always able to find us and throw us out! But if _you_ stepped in and did it, the guards wouldn't have anywhere to look! Not when you've got those snazzy ninja powers of yours workin' for ya!"

"Well, fine…" Espio groaned, reluctantly unfolding his arms. "I'll do it, but only if we _all _agree to stay at the designated rendezvous point for _longer_ than five minutes…!"

"Done deal!" Vector slapped Espio's outstretched hand in agreement. "You ready for this then, Charmy?"

"Yeah, you bet, Vector! Let's fly!" Charmy exclaimed.

"Wait a moment… We're going to enter the fortress in the exact same fashion as before?" Espio spoke up, looking doubtful.

"Well, yeah! So far, that's the only thing we've actually had success with every single time…!" Vector replied, shrugging.

"Well, if they're dumb enough to continue falling for it…" the purple ninja acquiesced.

With the help of Charmy, the three detectives soared up to the stronghold and entered it using the same window as every other time. Once they were inside, Team Chaotix headed straight for Knuckles, but they were surprised to find out that he wasn't being held in the same place as last time.

Slightly disheartened, the team wandered around for a long time before they finally managed to locate Knuckles. According to Espio's observations, he was trapped in a jail cell, still unconscious and heavily guarded.

"Alright then, Espio. It's up to you now. Good luck." Vector nodded at him.

"Thanks; I wish the both of you good luck as well…" Espio replied as he rendered himself invisible.

oOoOoOo

Espio made his way down a large corridor, one where he was certain any noise he made would carry far across the building. Once he reached the center, he paused, holding up his hands in a fighting stance.

'I can't believe I'm forced to resort to this…' the chameleon inwardly groaned.

Much to his own disgust, he opened his mouth and let loose a loud belch, one that actually rivaled Vector's.

'I'm… so ashamed…'

Only the tiniest of blushes was visible within the otherwise deserted hallway.

oOoOoOo

"Hey! Espio actually did it!" Vector grinned as he watched the majority of the guards leave to find out about all the commotion.

"Wow! I didn't even know that Espio_ could _burp!" Charmy laughed.

"Yeah, I know, right?" Vector snickered along with him. "…Oh, wait! We still gotta save Knuckles!"

"Didja eat enough burritos this time?"

"You better believe it!"

oOoOoOo

Barreling around the corner at top speed, Vector charged into the room, blasting the remaining robot guards away with his fiery breath.

"Heh, luckily for us, they're all Steel types…" Charmy mused as he examined the remains.

"Shut up, Charmy, and get over here! I need ya ta help me open this door!" Vector snapped as he began to yank on the cell door which held Knuckles captive.

"Sure thing, boss." Grabbing hold of his comrade's tail, the little bee yanked as hard as he could.

"Aah!" Charmy eventually exclaimed in frustration. "This _isn't _working! We probably need to find a key or something!"

"I don't have _time_ to go hunting for keys, Charmy!" Vector roared.

"Hey! Try _blasting _it away with your fire breath!"

"I can't do that! I'd probably burn up Knuckles too! Besides… I 'might' be out of fire power at this point…"

"Try _ripping _it apart with your Gator strength!"

Vector roared in frustration. "I'm _not _an alligator!"

"Oh yeah? _Prove_ it! _Rip_ those bars apart! Rip! _Rip_! Rip, I say!"

Unleashing another roar of fury, Vector seized the bars and wrenched them apart in an impressive feat of alligator-er, crocodile prowess.

"There…!" Vector said breathlessly. "Think you can get in there, Charmy?"

"Sure I can." Charmy grinned and slipped inside.

"Oh man! He's _so_ heavy!" the bee complained as he dragged Knuckles over to the cell door. "Hey! There's not enough room for Knuckles to fit through!"

"It's that fat head of his…" Vector sighed, looking pretty tired at this point. Thankfully, he eventually managed to force the gap to become wide enough for Knuckles' giant head. After much difficulty, the two detectives were finally able to get the majority of Knuckles' body through the opening.

"Oh no! Look! His feet! They're just _way _too big to fit though!" Charmy suddenly cried.

"Naw! They'll fit! Just send 'em through one at a time!" Vector ordered and, in the meantime, began to tug on Knuckles' arms.

"Okay…" Charmy turned and shoved his back against Knuckles' giant feet in order to help force them through the gap.

"Hurry up, Charmy!" Vector urged, "Espio can't hold them off forever!"

"I'm trying!" the bee insisted, and then finally, Knuckles was out!

"Great! Now we're good ta go!" Vector grinned, seizing the echidna and tossing him over his shoulder with ease.

"Finally! Let's get out of here!" Charmy cried and quickly slipped through the gap himself.

oOoOoOo

Espio was careful to dodge all the guards as he slipped from one point to the next, belching all the while. The guards were beyond confused. Where _were_ all these sounds coming from?

Everything was going great for Espio until… he opened his mouth to burp and nothing came out! Panicking slightly, Espio scanned his memory for solutions. What could he do now?

Suddenly, the voice of Vector surfaced in his mind…

_If ya ever run outta gas in your front end… try the back one!_

Espio grimaced at the remembrance. He certainly _couldn't _bring himself to do something as disgraceful as… _that_! He just had to draw the line somewhere, especially now, when he still had some vestiges of dignity left.

"Hmm, seems like it stopped…" one guard remarked as he looked around carefully.

"What do you suppose it was, anyway?" another asked.

"Maybe… a bat… or something?"

"Ooh! Are you referring to Rouge?"

Espio suddenly tossed one of his kunai. It clattered loudly against the wall, and the guards all looked up in surprise.

"Hey! Where did this come from?" a guard picked up the kunai from off of the floor.

Espio smirked as they all walked over to inspect it.

But then, from out of the corner of his eye, he saw Vector and Charmy headed right this way!

"Vector! _NO_!" Espio bellowed.

All of the guards whipped around at the sudden cry.

"Hey! It's those two freaks again! And they've got the echidna with them! Get them!" one of the guards shouted.

Vector and Charmy frantically scrambled away while Espio prepared to attack the unsuspecting guards. Unfortunately, Espio's first attack resulted in his target flailing about madly, and this led to the chameleon getting clobbered in the head. Much like last time, the poor ninja fell to the ground unconscious and completely visible.

"Oh! Look! It's that purple lizard again!" a random robot beeped. "Does he like to take naps here, perhaps?"

"Just expel it!" one of the guards barked over his shoulder before running after Vector and Charmy.

"Yes, Master… Duuuukuuuu…" the robot responded and promptly dragged Espio off to the exit.

oOoOoOo

Knuckles' face began to twitch as he let out a soft groan. Slowly but surely, he was regaining his consciousness. Once he had finally awoken completely and gathered his bearings, he began thrashing around on Vector's shoulder. "_Hey_! What's going on? Put me down!"

"Chill out!" Vector struggled with the still-thrashing Knuckles, trying his hardest not to drop him onto the stone floor. "We've got Marauders and robots on our tails, so just hang on!"

"Yeah, Knuckles! Don't worry! We're saving you… just like true Sonic Heroes!" Charmy beamed and struck a cheesy pose, all while flying in midair.

"I don't _need_ saving! Just put me down so I can recover the Master Emerald!" Knuckles snarled.

"Well, too bad, buddy! This is our job, and we're getting paid to do this! Now just—AAAAAAAAAH!" Vector suddenly ceased his complaining and screamed at the sight before them.

A small army of Marauders had appeared right in front of them. "Resistance is… totally pointless!" they chanted over and over again as they steadily advanced.

Knuckles got over his shock as lot faster than Vector. "You're _both _idiots! Now put me down!" he cried and began to thrash around again. This time, however, Vector was too stunned to offer any resistance, and as a result, Knuckles plummeted straight down to the floor. And unfortunately, due to crashing face-first against the stone floor, the echidna was once again knocked out cold.

"Wow, Knuckles is even dumber than I thought…" Charmy remarked.

"Who cares? How are we gonna get outta this?"

"Beats me… You're the boss, remember?"

"Hey… that's right, Charmy!" Vector's chest swelled with a newfound pride. "I'm the _leader _of the most powerful and cunning team in the whole entire _world_! I can do _anything_!"

With that in mind, the crocodile blasted forth an array of pink bubbles, the direct result of chewing bubblegum all day and all night long.

When the bubbles approached the guards, however, they did not burst into massive fiery explosions like Vector had intended. No, instead, they merely… popped.

"You bought the cheap kind again, didn't you?" Charmy asked, slapping a hand to his forehead.

At a genuine loss of words now, Vector merely nodded glumly. They were practically broke, after all. How could he afford to buy the fancy and deadly gum when they could barely keep cereal on the table?

Totally out of options now, Charmy and Vector just decided to yell and scream. With Marauders both before them and coming at them from behind, there was nowhere to run.

oOoOoOo

So, not surprisingly, both the crocodile and bee were thrown out of the building. A ritual all too familiar to the two hapless detectives by now…

"Oh no! Espio!" Charmy cried at the sight of Espio lying on the ground nearby.

"Aah! Wake up, buddy!" Vector yelled as he rolled his comrade over and began slapping his face repeatedly.

"Uuugh… … For God's sake… Vector… stop… slapping me...!"

"Geez, Vector…" Charmy hung his head. "It looks like… we totally failed… again…"

"_No_! Team Chaotix _NEVER_ fails!" Vector barked.

"Yeah, sure Vector…" the little bee sighed, rolling his eyes. "Whatever you say…"

"I mean it, Charmy! We'll _never _give up! We're going to save Knuckles even if it takes us _all year_!"

"Really? So after a year, we can finally quit?"

"_CHARMY_!"


	3. Chapter 3

"So what's your 'great and amazing' plan this time, Vector?" Charmy questioned with a rather glum look on his face.

Vector chuckled. "Oh, come on now, Charmy! Don't be that way! I've cooked up the perfect plan, and this time I'm _certain _there's _no way_ we can fail! Uh, not that we ever do fail, of course…!"

"Well then, Vector? What sort of crazy plan did you have in mind?" Espio pressed, impatient.

"Oh no; it's not crazy, I tell you!" Vector insisted with a sly grin, shaking his index finger from side to side just like a certain hedgehog. "Now just listen to _this_! We're just going to charge right on in there! All together! No one can stop us if we all work together, you see?"

"You mean… we'll be like… _real_ Sonic Heroes?" Charmy asked, his eyes sparkling.

"Yeah, yeah. Sure. Whatever."

"The plan sounds feasible to me…" Espio acknowledged, stretching lightly. "Just make sure to provide some cover for my head, Charmy. I don't think I can afford to suffer from yet another head injury…"

"Yeah Charmy!" Vector echoed before tossing a handful of gum into his massive jaws. "We can't have Espio goin' all loopy now! How can we defeat any Marauders if we've got a loopy ninja on our hands? Huh?"

"Hey, it's not my problem!" Charmy protested. "Why should protecting _Espio's_ head suddenly become _my_ job, anyway?"

"You're the only one who can fly…!" the crocodile pointed out.

"Well, why can't he just wear a helmet for protection like I do?"

"I highly doubt there are many helmets around that fit the shape of my head…"

"Oh… right…" Charmy shrugged. "Well, I suppose it shouldn't be too hard anyway… I'm ready!" he declared, baring his stinger.

"So, we'll be flying in through the window again?" Espio inquired, staring blankly at Vector and Charmy's 'battle-ready stances.'

"No way!" Vector grinned, breaking out of his pose and tapping his fists together. "We're charging right on in through the front door! Now… get ready… get set… GO!"

At the sound of his cry, the three dashed right for said door. Vector reached it first; once he smashed his fists against it, it slid open without any resistance whatsoever.

"Whoa! It _wasn't _locked?" Charmy screeched to a halt in midair, wide-eyed in disbelief.

"Their sheer, noobish amateurism disgusts me…" Espio frowned, "or perhaps they are merely taunting us?"

"_No one_ taunts Team Chaotix!" Vector roared. "We'll show them!"

And with that, the three dashed inside to confront their fate.

"Hey!" a weak voice called out.

Within moments, a panting human stumbled out from the brush. "Wait!" he huffed, clutching his chest. "You all owe me… thirty rings for… solving that puzzle…!"

But to his utter dismay, he looked around to find the area empty.

Disappointed at finding out that his expert puzzle skills had been squandered, all thanks to his inherent human slowness, he decided to go back home and try his hand at becoming emo. It wouldn't pay, of course, but at least he could try out a new look. Anything was better than sticking around here in this nasty swamp, and besides...

"Isn't this the home of that freakish cat?" he suddenly realized, looking about himself in horror.

A scream burst out from his throat once he made eye contact with… a random frog.

The frog stared back at the strange man, confused. This human was well over three times his size. And yet, his voice was extremely high pitched when he screamed. The frog was almost embarrassed _for_ him…

"That's his frog buddy!" the man cried, barely suppressing another scream. "That means… _he'll_ be here any second!"

Deciding to dismiss the man's strangeness for the moment, the frog now figured he should take advantage of this guy's fear for a while. He flexed his tiny frog muscles, looking as cool and tough as a frog as small as him possibly could.

The man screamed once more before running off, tripping every now and then on mud and moss. Like a boss.

The frog grinned after him. It was about time someone saw him as fearsome and intimidating. "Fear the frog!" he shouted in frog language after the man's retreating form.

oOoOoOo

Up amongst a rocky outcropping, a certain black hedgehog was lurking about.

"Where's that da-" Too busy looking at the scanner in his hand, the hedgehog actually crashed into a swamp-tree. "-m fourth Chaos Emerald?"

"Ha _ha_!" the scanner laughed; the image upon it was suddenly replaced with a Charmy icon. "Silly Shadow! You don't even _have _three Chaos Emeralds!"

Shadow growled at the scanner and smashed it against the tree again for good measure. "How did I even get this stupid Charmy-themed virus anyway!"

"Find the computer room-!" the scanner ordered. Its screen was now covered by a Vector icon.

"Viruses!" Shadow snarled, rapping his scanner over and over again against the mold-covered tree. "Why-won't-they-_die_!"

"I think the tree appeared to counter your dirty mouth, Shadow!" Eggman's voice declared authoritatively. Apparently now the scanner had an Eggman virus as well.

"Stupid scanner!" Shadow continued to pound it against the tree. "If I didn't need this thing to track down Omega, I would have _destroyed it _ages ago!"

Finally feeling somewhat satisfied with that small bout of destruction, Shadow leapt down from the last few ledges and stood upon the wet and swampy earth. Within several moments, his shoes were already soggy.

His mouth curled in disgust. "Well, I doubt Omega would remain here for long, if at all…"

He glanced down at his feet, finally becoming aware of the frog resting on the ground beside him. He smirked wickedly once a new and horrible idea began to formulate within his mind. He now knew of the perfect way to diminish all that stress he had accumulated from dealing with his stupid scanner all day long…

"It's frog-stompin' time!" Shadow declared with a positively frightening smile on his face.

The little frog cowered; suddenly all that confidence he had gained from scaring off that other guy was gone.

"Hey!" the scanner interjected. A Sonic icon could now be visible on it. "It's wrong to attack the innocent when you're feeling upset or angry!"

But Shadow didn't care. He had been created by Robotnik, or Eggman, or Black Doom, or whoever, so naturally, it went without saying that he had a few evil streaks in his heart. And well, his bad temper at the moment wasn't helping matters in the slightest.

So he raised his foot…

And…

"FROOOGGGGYYYYY!"

A giant, fat cat dived at Shadow, knocking the hedgehog to the ground and crushing him thoroughly. Trapped against the massive, relentless, bubbling fat, Shadow could hardly breathe, let alone move.

"Huh?" Big, the fattest and stupidest cat in existence, blinked. "Where'd the bad guy go, Froggy?"

He sat up, looking around in confusion. "Was it…? Oh!" he laughed dumbly. "I bet it was only a shadow! Nothing to worry about! Hurr! Hurr!"

The frog shook his head in frustration. No, Big was an idiot. The villain wasn't a real shadow, and he _hadn't_ disappeared! He was merely trapped beneath Big's massive rear end!

Big continued to chuckle dumbly. "Oh, Froggy! You're so… Oh! Wait! You're not Froggy! You're Billy-Bob Joe!"

The frog blinked, at first too stunned to react. But then, he began to pound his little fists against the ground in indignation. His name _wasn't _Billy-Bob! Who had even heard of such a stupid name! His name was Tad!

Big continued his brainless chuckling. "Hurr! Hurr! You're so funny, Billy-Bob! Durr! Hurr!"

Tad shook his head. This was a waste of his time. He hopped away into the swamp waters, being careful not to look back at the big, stupid, derp face behind him.

"Bye-bye!" Big waved. He stood, revealing a severely squished and now-unconscious Shadow. He stared back at the hedgehog, looking confused. "Heyyy! My shadow sure looks weird… I must be losin' weight!" he decided happily and ran off to play in the disgusting swamp water.

Shadow remained alone on the soggy grass. It was a good thing for Big that he was still unconscious because otherwise… all would witness the cataclysmic power of Chaos Blast.

oOoOoOo

"Oh wonderful… the weirdoes have returned…" the Marauder leader groaned. He glared at the three standing before his small patrol unit, frustrated and exasperated. "What do you even want, anyway?"

"We're not leaving this place without Knuckles!" Vector roared, planting his feet squarely upon the ground. "It's over for you and your robot buddies, Marauders! Just hand him over, and we won't have to blow you away with our awesome singing and musical talents!"

The Marauder stared, dumbfounded. "…What?"

"Hit it, Espio!"

Seizing his shamisen, Espio tried playing it beautifully, but it seemed he had forgotten the notes he was supposed to play. He continually looked from the fingerboard to the body, unsure as to where to place his fingers and which strings to pluck. Completely uncertain, he eventually decided to just play every note he possibly could, as fast as he possibly could.

Espio tried to sing as well, but apparently, something strange had happened to his throat. Instead of singing a traditional Japanese folk song of yore, the chameleon started making weird, guttural gulping noises… Perhaps he was nervous?

From out of nowhere, Charmy pulled out a fairly large drum and commenced beating upon it, wildly and with no sense of rhythm whatsoever. "BEE! BEE! BEE! Charm!"

Grinning madly, Vector grabbed his microphone and hollered into it, half-singing-or rather, half-yelling and half-roaring his favorite death metal song. Of course, his favorite song happened to be in an ancient crocodile language; therefore no one had any idea what he was actually screaming about.

The Marauders seized their ears in pain, while the robots simply blew up. They just couldn't take it any longer.

To their utter horror, the technological advances of the Marauders' suits actually started to work against them. The atrociously loud and bad music was causing their suits to short-circuit.

"Stop, drop, and roll!" the leader shrieked.

Once the Chaotix finished their lovely song, all of the robots were out of commission while the Marauders were literally on fire. In order to save themselves, they were all rolling on the ground, trying desperately to put out the fires.

"Heh, nice one, boys! We should totally form our own band someday!" Vector grinned proudly. "But for now, let's move! We need to find Knuckles!"

oOoOoOo

Knuckles groaned, struggling to open his eyes. What _was _that atrociously loud sound? It sounded like… a hundred different bands playing at once and clashing together horribly. It made his head pound even harder.

"What's going _on _out there?" a voice cried.

"Should we investigate?" another inquired.

"_No_!" yet another barked. "_Remain _as you are! The patrol units will handle it! Our job is to stay put!"

'Marauders! That must be them!' Knuckles thought, willing himself to sit up.

The crimson echidna shook his head vigorously to dispel his headache and forced his eyes open. At the sight of the guards standing outside his cell, anger coursed through his blood. They were the ones who _stole _the Master Emerald!

Shaking off his pain and shouting out a battle cry, Knuckles charged at the cell door, slamming it brutally with his formidable fists.

The three Marauders whirled around at the sudden noise. "What the-?"

Knuckles snarled, pulling back to rush at the bars once again.

"Call for back-up! I think he's going to-!"

"It doesn't matter!" The leader snapped. "He _can't_ break out from that cell."

"Think again!" Knuckles shouted before charging once more. This time, the minute his fists made contact with the bars, the door shattered, unable to withstand such heavy resistance.

Using this momentum to his advantage, the echidna knocked his fists into the face of the Marauder leader, knocking the adversary out cold.

"Aw, crap!" one Marauder backed away slightly before ultimately deciding to run off.

The other one stood his ground, ready for battle. Before the Marauder could even react, Knuckles ran at him, his right fist connecting with the villain's cheek. The force sent the rogue's head into the wall, breaking off his left horn.

The Marauder swayed slightly before collapsing, utterly dizzy.

Knuckles smirked, dusting off his gloves with pride. 'Now I only need to get out of here and recover the Master Emerald!' he declared to himself before heading off.

The second he rounded the corner, however, he bumped into three familiar faces. "You three…" he frowned, looking them over with annoyance. "What are you still doing here?"

"_Knuckles_!" Charmy squealed. "You're aliiiiiiive!"

"You better believe it, kid." Knuckles grunted. "Now out of my way; I need to find the Master Emerald!"

"Well, hello to you too." Vector grumbled, holding out his arms in disbelief.

"Knuckles!" Espio broke in, his expression serious. "We must unite our forces if we wish to escape this fortress safely."

"I don't _need _your help!" Knuckles spat, pushing past them. "I need to find and recover the Master Emerald! I don't have the time to take care of you three!"

He might have escaped them, if it hadn't been for Vector.

"Now listen here, Knucklehead!" Vector cried, seizing one of Knuckles' dreadlocks. "We're getting _paid_ to rescue you, so you better believe you're going to get rescued! By _us_!"

"Let _go_ of me!" Knuckles roared, thrashing madly. But it didn't matter; Vector's grip on the echidna's hair was firm.

"Vector…? Did it ever occur to you that you just might be taking things a bit… too far?"

"Nonsense, Espio!" Vector boomed, tossing the still-writhing Knuckles over his shoulder.

Charmy sniggered, watching the echidna struggle. "Why does it seem like Knuckles is getting kidnapped all over again?"

"Shut up, Charmy!" the big green detective thundered. "I'm _saving _Knuckles! He's just too dumb to realize it!"

"I've got the feeling this isn't going to end well…" Espio frowned, following after Vector and just barely avoiding a hit from Knuckles' flailing foot.

oOoOoOo

NOTES: Yeah… it's about time I updated this. To be honest, there was a point where I wanted to just delete this fanfic… But I figured it wouldn't hurt to finish it, especially since I feel the site could always benefit from having more Chaotix fanfics. :)

I've also completely re-worked the two previous chapters. So if you've read them any time _before_ May 2012, then you might want to take a look at them again.

I'm thinking the next chapter will be the last one, and I hope to have it finished fairly soon.


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